What happened
On 1 March 2011, a Cessna 152, registration G-BOKY, was conducting a training flight at Old Sarum Airfield in Wiltshire. The flight, which began as a navigation exercise from Bournemouth Airport, transitioned into circuit consolidation training on the grass Runway 06.
After completing two successful circuits and landings, the instructor directed the student pilot to perform a go-around during the third circuit because the aircraft was too high on the final approach. During the subsequent fourth landing attempt, the aircraft bounced. The student pilot continued the landing attempt, but upon the second touchdown, the nose landing gear collapsed. The aircraft slid along the runway on its nose and main gear before coming to a stop near the left edge of the runway. Both the instructor and the student pilot were uninjured and exited the aircraft without assistance.
The investigation
The investigation examined the sequence of the landing and the actions of the crew. It was noted that the instructor had not intervened during the bounce, later acknowledging that the severity of the bounce was underestimated and that more decisive action could have been taken. The instructor also noted that the student's recent training history, having completed 75 hours of instruction and flown with the instructor the previous day, may have influenced this decision.
Findings
- The primary cause of the accident was the nose landing gear collapse following a bounced landing.
- The instructor failed to sufficiently prepare to intervene during the unstable landing attempt.